Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Local Studies Library maps Cork's alleys and lanes

In response to demand from researchers, Cork Local Studies Library has drawn up an alphabetical list of the numerous lanes and alleys of 19th-century Cork City and linked their locations onto modern maps.

Many of these lanes were in areas off the North and South Main Streets, Shandon Street, Blarney Street and Barrack Street. A great many are now gone, having been cleared by Cork Corporation in the 1920s and 1930s when new housing estates were built to the north and south of the city.

The newly created list has been developed following research by the Library staff in Griffith’s Valuations, maps, newspaper and periodical articles, and books, especially Laneways of Medieval Cork by Gina Johnson.

Some the lanes are shown and named on the 25-inch map of Cork city available online at the Ordnance Survey Ireland website historicmaps.ie; the Search button allows you to enter the name of the lane or the name of the nearest main street to the lane, before you click on the Historic 25" button.

Now a custom Google Map has been created with the location of the lanes plotted. Many of the lanes no longer exist and is such cases the placemarks indicate the location of where the lane/alley would have been. In circumstances where a precise location would not be indenfied the nearest throughfare is marked.

If any researcher would like to submit information that would help to more precisely plot these lanes they can do so by email.